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Overview
Synopsis
Gregers Werle has returned from the Hoidal works up north and unexpectedly turned up at his father’s house, a place of secrets and sins. Gregers accuses his father of scapegoating his former business partner, and then acting charitably only to cover up his misdeeds: Old Werle has set up his former partner’s son, Hialmar, with a photography studio, and introduced Hialmar to his now-wife, Gina. Hialmar and Gina have a 14-year-old daughter, Hedvig, a curious child with failing eyesight who tends to the rescued wild duck living in their house. Gregers is determined to right the wrongs of past generations, no matter the cost or who he hurts in the process--so deeply does he believe in the idealism of living without lies. What will he expose? About whom? And will he be able to restore the integrity he seeks, or will he succumb to his own self-righteous ego? Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck is an investigation into the psychology of what makes people happy and content, and the lengths to which the will go to preserve their life’s illusions.
Show Information
- Book
- Henrik Ibsen
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 5
- First Produced
- 1884
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- Norway, 1800s, Hakon Werle’s house, Hialmar Ekdal’s house
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Mature Adult, Adult, Elderly, Early Teen, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
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Lead |
Male |
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Lead |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
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Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
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Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress